Netgear SPH101 WiFi phone for Skype

Need to use Skype on the run but don’t want to be tied to a computer? Netgear has an answer for you and your favorite hotspot, but it’s got a hefty price-tag at $249. The Netgear SPH101 Skype WiFi phone is now available for pre-order with expected shipping in the latter half of June. I held a prototype of this device in January at CES and was impressed with the look and feel; unfortunately, the device wasn’t usable for me to demo at the time. Some of the key features of the SPH101 include:

802.11b/g support

Contact management for Skype contacts

Color screen that displays caller information

Security through WEP and WPA-PSK

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As I mentioned earlier today, I use Skype on a daily basis, so as a service I think it’s outstanding. $250 to access that service on the go seems a bit steep to me since a decent Windows Mobile device with WiFi can be less costly and provide additional functionality.